Rail-joint lock.



W. KING 8: P. L. BETT-IS.

RAIL JOINT LOOK.

APPLICATION FILED NW. 27, 1912.

Patented Aug. 26, 1913.

IIVI/E/VTOBS; mum/w KING,

PEEK/N6 L. BETTIS ATTORNEYS .v UNITED STACMENT orrrc WILLIAM KING AND PERKINS Ii. BETTIS, OF BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA.

RAIL-JOINT LOGK.

To all whom it may concern I Be it known that we, WILLIAM KING and Pnnxms L. Bn'r'rrs, both citizens of the United States, and residents of West Berkeley, in the county of Alameda and State of California, have invented a new and Improved Rail-Joint Look, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to rail locks on splice plates of rail joints, and has reference more particularly to the class comprising a key, and a wedge co-acting with said key and projecting through the splice plates and the web of the rail and thereby wedging the splice plates against the rail.

An object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive railway joint lock, simple and reliable in its action; which has no threaded parts; which can be easily placed or removed with minimum expenditure of time, and which does not require wrenches; which will permit extension of the rail due to variation of temperature; and which will not require any change in the present construction of the rail.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a railway joint embodying our invention; Fig. 2 is a section 011 the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a part of the splice plate, showing the aperture into which the key and the wedge fit; and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the key and wedge.

Referring to the drawing, 10 is a rail provided with splice plates 11 engaging the ends of the rails in a well-known fashion. The exterior surface of the splice plates 11 is slightly diverging toward the base of the rail, and as is customary, the upper part of the splice rail engages under the head portion of the rail, and the lower portion of the splice plate engages the upper portion of the base flange of the rail, a certain clearance between the plate and the web of the rail being left, permitting the movement of the plates toward the web.

The rail 10 is provided with the customary apertures 12, registering with rectangular apertures 13 formed in the splice plate. The lower sides 14 of the apertures 13 are substantially horizontal, and in the Specification of Letters Patent;

Application filed November 27, 1912.

Patented Aug. 26,1913.

Serial No. 733,795.

same straight line, while the upper sides 15 of the apertures are beveled and form a continuous line, so that one of the apertures is a little larger than the other, for a purpose which will appear hereinafter. A key 16, having the form of an I, has its heads 17 just large enough to pass through the small est aperture 13 when the widest portion of the head is placed vertically; then the key 16 can be turned so that its inner rounded shoulders 18 will bear against the diverging exterior sides of, the splice plates 11. A wedge 19 is provided, having its upper portion beveled similarly to the bevel formed in the upper sides 15 of the aperture 13, and in width equal to the width of the aperture 13. A head 20 is provided near the major part of the wedge, similar to the head 17 of the I-key, and by inserting the wedge 19 into the apertures 13 so that it will bear against the upper surface of the key 16, the beveled surface of the wedge will engage the upper sides 15 of the apertures 13 and force the key downwardly, whereby the rounded shoulders 18 engaging the diverging sides of the splice plates, will force them toward the web part of the rail, and therefore engage these plates with the rail, and the wedge and the key will wedge themselves in the splice plates. Registering holes 21 and 22 are provided in the key 16 and wedge 19 so that when the splice plates are wedged in the rails and form a joint in locked position, a cotter pin 23 is inserted in the registering holes 21 and 22 of the key and wedge respectively, thereby preventing excessive displacement of the joint lock from vibration or other causes.

It can be easily seen that while this lock constitutes a positive means for looking a rail joint without having any thread-ed parts, the same will allow expansion of the rail, as the key and the wedge do not fill the aperture 12 of the rail. The lock can be easily taken apart by withdrawing the cotter pin,- and by a slight knock on the end of the wedge 19,: the lock can be easily disengaged, no special wrenches being required. In consequence the lock can be used time and time again, as there are no parts to be worn off.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A device of the class described comprising splice plates at the ends of the sides of the web of the rail having exteriorly inclined faces converging toward the top of the ail, a key projecting through said plates, having transversely disposed portions engaging said exteriorly inclined faces, and a wedge contacting with said key and said plates, whereby transverse portions of said key are forced against said exteriorly inclined faces, and thereby said plates are drawn toward the rail.

2. A device of the class described comprising splice plates at the end of the sides of the web of the rail having exteriorly inclined sides, an Ishaped key projecting through said plates and rail, engaging said inclined side with the transverse portions of the I, and a wedge engaging said key and plates, forcing sald transverse ortion of the key against said exteriorly inclined sides, thereby pulling said plates against the rail.

3. A device of the class described comprising splice plates having exteriorly inclined sides converging to the too of the rail and provided with beveled apertures near their ends, a key having its extremities projecting through said apertures and engaging the exterior inclined sides of the lates, a wedge adapted to engage said beveliid part of the aperture and said key, forcing the ends of said key against the exteriorly inclined sides of said plates.

4. A device of the class described co1nprising splice plates provided with beveled apertures near their ends, and exteriorly inclined sides, a key having heads at its extremity adapted to project through said apertures and engage the exterior inclined sides of said plates, said key having the form of an I, a wedge having a head similar to the end of said key at one end and adapted to engage said beveled part of said aperture in said plate, said wedge superposing said key in said aperture, with the head of said wedge registering with one of the heads of the key when engaged in the aperture of A said plate, said registering heads having means whereby excessive displacement of said wedge and key in said beveled apertures is prevented.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM KING. PERKINS L. BETTIS.

\Vitnesses FRANK E. LAVIGNE, PAUL E. BURNI-IAM.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

